How often have we heard product managers mention that a product should be easy and intuitive to use—even for grandma and grandpa? Older people often refrain from the latest in technology—they fear they won't be able to adapt to it or that it may be unnecessary for them. These drivers are increasingly forcing companies to think about the older users in order to increase their market share.
Bill Sleeper, who recently passed away at 99 years old, was one of those avid technology adopters who spent a lot time helping fellow seniors adopt technology. Duncan and Debbie Page are great examples on how to leverage the Internet in small yet powerful ways to give their businesses a marketing facelift.
Not everyone can be a Bill Sleeper or the Pages. However, since everything around us is becoming increasingly technology powered, leveraging technology to the extent required is becoming inevitable—whether it is for online shopping, banking, or even communicating. Acknowledging the challenges associated with older people using technology, a lot of apps, videos, tips, and articles have been published to empower easier adoption.
While these are geared toward technology users, the other aspect to be considered is career opportunities for older people in technology companies. The average age of employees in most technology companies is still under 30—it is 28 at Facebook and 29 at Google. While organizations cannot reject older people during interviews explicitly because of their age, there is an implied thought that age makes it more difficult to secure a job in technology.
A few things that older people and the hiring team need to remember is that older people have unique and valuable skills to bring to the table compared to their younger counterparts. These include their years of experience, knowledge of technologies such as mainframe, which is still not completely dead, and their ability to mentor. Drawing a balance when hiring will help an organization bring in the needed diversity from age and experience standpoints.
Being engaged with technology can give a new meaning to life in the older years. You look forward to what new thing is coming up, how to incorporate it into your daily life, and how to leverage it to connect with friends and family—all of which brings more happiness, relevance, and positivity. It is wonderful to see technology providers thinking about the older generations. The responsibility is now equally in the hands of the older generations to embrace technology to reap all of this positivity.
